State May End Funding for Netanyahu Family at Official Residence

YERUSHALAYIM
The official residence of the Prime Minister of Israel, on Balfour Street, Yerushalayim.

A legal adviser at the Prime Minister’s Office has recommended that the state immediately stop covering the utilities costs for Binyamin Netanyahu and his family at the official Prime Minister’s Residence from Sunday night, from when the new government is expected to be sworn in.

At the same time, no date has yet been set for the Netanyahus to leave the official Prime Minister’s Residence on Balfour Street in Yerushalayim. Prime Minister-designate Naftali Bennett is not planning on fully relocating to the official residence due to his children’s schooling arrangements.

The legal opinion by Shlomit Barnea-Pargo, which requires the approval of the Justice Ministry to be binding, suggests that the government stop funding the residence expenses and all chefs and cleaners be immediately fired. The state should also end its funding of cleaning and utilities for the Netanyahus’ private Caesarea residence, which it also currently covers, she wrote.

According to Channel 12, transition teams representing Netanyahu and Bennett are meant to finalize the details, but have yet to establish contact.

During his 12 consecutive years in office, Netanyahu lived in the official Yerushalayim residence during the week, while spending weekends in the family’s private Caesarea villa.

Bennett plans for his family to stay in their hometown of Ra’anana during the week while he uses the official residence for meetings, and on weekends they may join him in Yerushalayim, according to Channel 12.

Bennett has four children who all study in different schools near their current residence in Ra’anana.

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